Next time you head to Labatt Park to check on the Majors, get a program. You’ll need it.

The London Intercounty Baseball League entry, which begins its season against Hamilton Friday at home, only has three position players and two pitchers returning from last year’s roster.

That doesn’t mean they anticipate a tumble to the bottom of the standings.

“I’m happy about it because it was time for change,” Majors co-owner and coach Roop Chanderdat said. “I went into the off-season knowing it was time to essentially move on from that (last) group and move on to the next, be it because of work (commitments) or other reasons.

“We’re still waiting for some pieces to come in and the first month is evaluation and assessment. But it’s nice to have new blood. Everyone’s excited and working hard.”

Cleveland Brownlee, the big 34-year-old Georgian, needs seven home runs to reach 100 in his decade-long Majors career. He hit .324 with 12 long balls and 46 RBI last summer and is locked into the designated hitter role.

“He had a great regular season (in 2018) and I’m looking for a big year from him,” Chanderdat said. “You see the odd guy (spend this long with the same team in the league) and they have to be at the top of their game to stay because you have young guys come in who are really good.

“It’s huge for us to have him.”

Brownlee and rightfielder Byron Reichstein (.308, eight homers, 37 RBI) are the remaining trustworthy bats in the lineup, with RJ Fuhr (.346) and Chris McQueen (.339) moving on from the team.

“Byron is one of our building blocks,” Chanderdat said. “He can be that all-star who puts up MVP numbers. He looks motivated and excited. You can get a bit stale sometimes when you have the same team. But you surround veterans with a lot of new pieces, it wakes everyone up a bit.”

Ismael Pena should be a major factor immediately. The 23-year-old Montreal native and former Mariners farmhand can pitch and hit, so he will be used in both capacities.

“He’s going to be our Ohtani,” Chanderdat said, referring to the Los Angeles Angels’ celebrated two-way player from Japan. “He hit a home run in the exhibition game (last week against Michigan JetBox). You don’t get a player with his skill set too often. We’ll see if we can squeeze him in to pinch hit and play first base and the outfield.

Most IBL teams lean on a couple of ace starters to eat up a good chunk of the innings each season. The Majors plan to have two Dominicans in their rotation along with 26-year-old Londoner Owen Boon, who spent parts of the past two years with Trois-Rivieres in the Can-Am league.

The all-local bullpen is highlighted by Beal grad Jon Fitzsimmons, who pitched in the Royals and Indians organizations before heading to Quebec in the Can-Am league last season.

“We’re looking for him to be our closer if everything pans out,” Chanderdat said.

“This is the best depth we’ve had in a long time. In years past, I haven’t had a bullpen because there weren’t enough arms. Now, Braeden Ferrington is back. We have Sean Hood-Tidman from Stratford, Matt Balkwill, whose brother Larry played here, and Spencer Bak and Ayden Hannon.”

The Majors threw a combined no-hitter in their final tune-up game against JetBox. Now, it’s time to see how they stack up against the IBL’s best.

Barrie, again the favourite, is searching for its sixth straight crown.

“Their veterans will keep coming back until someone knocks them off,” Chanderdat said. “I have a lot of respect for those guys. Brantford was six titles in a row and seven of eight and now Barrie is five. You run into two dynasties. It raises everyone’s level.”

The league added a roster twist this season, allowing the four bottom teams from last summer — Guelph, Hamilton, Brantford and Welland (formerly Burlington) — a fifth (non-Canadian) import spot. The Majors, because they were third, get only four.

“All four teams applied for it and are using it,” Chanderdat said. “You have five stud imports and you’ll be competitive. So you have to be ready to play every game or you won’t win.

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